William l mcdowell



@ni-teh. faire a'trnt fitte.

WILLIAM L. MCDOWELL, OF PHlLADELPHlA, PENNSYLVANIA.A

Letters Patent No. 78,737, dated January 28, `1868i antedated January 14, 1868,

ASH-PIT Govan son srovns.

TO ALL WHOM IIT MAY CONCERN:

Bc it known that I, WILLIAM L. McDOWELL, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Stoves; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description ci' the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which.-V

Figure 1 is a perspective view of myA said improvement applied to the base of a common coalstove, and

Figure 2 a vertical section on the right-handleide of the dotted line m y of fig. 1

Like letters of reference indicating the same parts when in fboth figures.

improvement relates especially to the mode of closing and opening the mouth of the ash-pit of a stove. All the stoves heretofore made vhave the mouths of their ash-pits closed and opened either by detachable sliding stoppers, detachable hanging plates, horizontally-swinging doors, or by drop plates permanently secured to the ash-drawer, all of .which are, in a greater or lesser degree, objectionable, because those which are detachable are generally too hot to be handled, inconvenient tolay aside when detached, and troublesome to reapply, and

those with horizontally-swinging doors seldom remain closed properly, and also require an open space beneath to allow them to swing 4clear of the hearth-plate, while those which are iixed-to the ash-drawer have the same objections, and also require that the ash-drawer be pulled forward togive proper facility or access in raking the fire, and therefore allow the ashes brought down during the operation to fall behind the drawer.

The object of my invention is to obviate these objections. It consists in the construction and application of a gravitating-plate, in combination with Vsloping side plates between it, the hearth-plate, and the front plate of a stove, substantially as hereinafter described. l

vReferring to the drawings, A is the hearth-plate, B B the sloping side plates, G the front plate, D- the ash-pit, and E the gravitatinglplate, covering the mouth of the ash-pit. The mouth` of the ash-pit D is a large opening through the front plate C of the base of the stove, `for giving free access'to the ash-pit D, either for removing the ashes or raking the fire. The sloping side plates B B are, in this instance, cast on the front plate C, and so that their bottom edges will extend forward in contact with the hearth-plate A, and produce a close# fitting joint thereat, in connection with thecleats a a and bearings a a, cast on the hearth-plate A, and so,

also, as to slope regularly upward in front to a little ab'ove the upper boundary of the mouth vof the ash-pit D. Y

The gravitating-plate E is madeto fit closely and accurately over the mouth of the ash-pit when resting against the sloping edges of B B and the face of the front plate C, whilst its lower edge fits closely down upon the hearthplate, and with an elongationor pivot at each corner of the same, fitting in the respective bearings, a a, of the said hcarth-plate, so that the said plate E can be turned down upon the horizontal hearth-plate, as

indicated by the dotted lines in fig. 2, and thus fully open and expose the mouth ofthe ash-pit D, or be turned upward with facility from the latter position, and let fall in place against the edges of the sloping side plates B B and the front plate C, as shown in both the figs. and 2, and thus, by simple gravitation, close accurately the mouth of the said ash-pit. A draught-slide, e', may he applied to the plate E, in the manner shown` in thel drawings, or in any other suitable manner.

This is a very simply-constructed and operated cover for the mouth of the ash-pit of a stove, cannot be easily pu't out ofplace, closes the opening perfectly by simple gravitation, and affords instant and complete access to the interior of the ash-pit as occasion may require.

It is intended that a loose or removable box be inserted in the ash-pit to receive the ashes, as indicated by the faint lines 'u u in fig. 2.

I do not intend to confine myself to the mode described of casting the sides B B and the front plate C in one piece, as it may be` desirable to cast the plates B B and the plate E in one piece, but the first-described construction is believed to be the better one.

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim as new therein of my invention, and desire to secureA by Letters Patent, is confined to the following, viz:

The gravitating-plate E and the sloping side plates B B', in combination with the hearth-plate A anu the front'plate C of stove, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and described.

W. L. MCDOWELL. Witnesses:

BENJ. Morrison, JOHN VOGEL. 

